The Gujarat Police on Saturday booked five persons after a Dalit school principal died by suicide on Friday in Amreli district, reported The Times of India.
Kanti Chauhan (52), the principal of a school in Juna Janjariya village of Bagasara taluka, consumed poison after he was allegedly threatened and defamed by the village head Mukesh Borisagar. In a video message, Chauhan alleged that Borisagar used casteist slurs against him and asked him to hand over the grants that he had received as the school principal.
“He [Borisagar] also circulated a defamatory message about me and my caste in social media groups of villagers,” Chauhan purportedly said in the video, reported The New Indian Express. Scroll could not verify the authenticity of the video.
Chauhan also alleged that he was afraid of going to the school as he feared that Borisagar could get him killed, reported The Times of India. “I come from a lower caste,” he said. “I teach students. You are attempting to defame us using our caste as a weapon, which is disgraceful for you as a village head.”
Chauhan’s wife stated in the police complaint that he had started extra classes before school hours, reported the newspaper. However, one of the students used to remain absent for which Chauhan had scolded him. After this, the student’s parents pressured Chauhan to not hold extra classes.
Borisagar then allegedly got Chauhan removed from the post of principal, The Times of India reported.
On Friday, Chauhan was taken to hospital after he consumed poison. However, he died during treatment. Following Chauhan’s death, members of the Dalit community protested outside Bagasra police station on Saturday and refused to take his body until the accused persons were arrested.
Besides Borisagar, the police have booked three teachers – Ranjan Lathiya, Hansa Tank, Bhavna, and another person named Vipul Kyada on charges of abetment of suicide, reported The Times of India. Ten teams of police have been formed to arrest the accused persons who are on the run.
“We have registered a case under section 306 [abetment of suicide] of the Indian Penal Code and various sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” JP Bhandari, Deputy Superintendent of Police in Amreli said.
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